My Old-Blog - The Great Escape

Radiotherapy is done, I’ve had the 1-month treatment break, now all that remains is 6 months of chemo (well, I say 6 months – I’m writing this article 8 days into the first month, so just under 6 months left). In this article, cancer will be mentioned in small amounts. Since my last article, I’ve had a chance to forget about my diagnosis and enjoy life; exploring, having fun, and spending time with loved ones. Here’s what I got up to:

FREEDOM!!

I’m free! The fixed routine of radiotherapy every weekday is no more! Now I can go places, make my own plans, and enjoy my day without 4 hours (at minimum) dedicated to the hospital. Getting out to the Christmas markets, going ice skating, catching up with friends and actually being able to have alcoholic drinks! Freedom again at last.

A large amount of time has been spent getting out this month, can’t waste away sitting in the house when there’s so much fun stuff I could be doing! Though there’s always a requirement to take it easy and ensure what I’m doing (such as ice skating) is a good idea and not a risk.

*Ice Skating – Christmas jumper for the win!*

In 2020 I hope to spend more time with friends, getting out, making memories and having fun.

A Trip to Cardiff

CLIC Sargent (a charity who support young people who are fighting cancer) invited me down to Cardiff to be part of a Young Person’s Reference Group (YPRG) to discuss the charities mission and goals for the next few years. From discussing the charity’s name, to how they reach more young people online, these guys are dead-set on finding out how best they can help as many people as possible.

Along with discussing all of the charity stuff, I met a group of incredible people, all of whom were/are cancer patients. Cancer can be a gloomy topic, however, unlike most people, these guys have all been (or are currently) on this journey; this made it really easy to talk about it all the shit bits.

*Our YPRG group – that Christmas jumper yet again making an appearance.*

This was the first event I’ve been too with a charity, and I definitely want to do more. I’ve decided that I’m going to get to as many as I can from now on.

Christmas Cruise

An escape from normal life that I’m so lucky to have had. My girlfriend and I travelled down to Southampton and set sail on a cruise visiting Hamberg, Oslo, Copenhagen, and Bruges. We had a brilliant time exploring some beautiful places, and I couldn’t have asked for better company!

Hamberg and Oslo were very chilly, and so my woolly hat was a necessity, along with lots of hot chocolate and gluhwein (mulled wine). Copenhagen and Bruges were a little warmer, thank god. As we were exploring a number of new cities, there was a lot of walking! Luckily I was well enough for this, I know a lot of others who have been on chemo would not be able to walk that far.

*Akershus Fortress, Oslo – view from our cabin balcony.*

The cruise came to an end too quickly, it was amazing – I was able to forget about life at home and just enjoy time away. After a short stop in London, it was time for us both to head back home for Christmas.

Christmas

Family – that’s what Christmas means to me. We had a relaxed Christmas day, filled with present giving, a big lunch, and eating way too many sweets. Probably the nicest Christmas I’ve had.

A Familiar Face: Chemotherapy

Ho-Ho-Chemo?! Christmas day was planned as the re-start of chemo, however, I managed to get it pushed back to Boxing Day, phew. Now I’ve started my 6 cycles of increasing chemo, I’m on a routine of 4-week intervals. The first 5 days are taking my chemo pills, followed by resting.

*My breakfast – New chemo packets (rather than strips of pills). I need to use the pen to open the packets as they’re really difficult to open (they don’t even rip!).*

For now, I’m not really needing this time to rest, though I know at cycle 3 or 4 I’ll definitely start to feel fatigued or nauseous. No pain, no gain, right?

New Year, Same Me – Goals for 2020

Last year (2019) I set myself the goals of sharing my story and raising awareness. I’ve shared it a little, however, I’ve not done anything near what I set out to do, or what I know I could’ve done. Let’s correct this in 2020.

This year I plan to share my story and raise awareness about the lesser-talked about areas of cancer, through whatever means I can. I’m going to be attending events, speaking to media outlets, and working with charities the best I can. I’d love if you could share my blog with your network so that we can get more people in-the-know, and help get rid of some worries.

In 2020, let’s kick ass!

11. The Great Escape